Australian Venue Co. (AVC) has begun the multi-million dollar process of remodeling European Bier Café into a four-level pub, complete with comedy club, rooftop bar and dining rooms.
The renovation will see the venue renamed ‘Morris House’, the original title of the building, constructed in 1924 and located at 114-122 Exhibition Street in Melbourne’s CBD.
AVC CEO Paul Waterson expressed his delight at revamping European Bier Café into Morris House.
“It’s a complete transformation. We’re proud to operate some of the Melbourne CBD’s most iconic and popular pubs, are excited to keep investing in the Melbourne CBD with this project,” Waterson said.
“The CBD is back, and we’re focused on the future.”
The refreshed venue will have a total capacity of 550, with the rooftop bar alone containing room for 180 patrons.
AVC have tapped architect firm, Red Design (which has previously designed the Cardinia Hotel and the Crown Perth), to work on the project, with the new venue set to ‘pay homage to the history of the site’ as the original home for the first Charity Organisation Society in Victoria.
A key focus of the new venue will be the basement comedy club, with Morris House aiming to become ‘the home of comedy in Melbourne’. The redesigned downstairs venue takes inspiration from the comedy clubs of New York, with moody neon-lighting on the cards.
On the ground floor, a dining space will offer a menu of ‘elevated pub classics’ and more modern share-plates, and will contain booth seating options.
The first floor will contain a new entertainment and live music space, alongside a bar, while a balcony overlooking Exhibition Street is going to be added to the venue. Externally, Morris House will see the building get a new lick of paint, as a lighter, brighter colour scheme replaces the current matte-black look.
Morris House is scheduled to re-open in autumn of this year, with all areas of the existing venue closed during the refurbishment process.